Long Term Care Cost Planning

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Long term care costs in Atlanta, Georgia are rising every year. Whether you are planning for yourself or a loved one, the numbers can be shocking. A nursing home in Georgia can cost over $105,000 per year, and those costs keep climbing. The good news is that with the right plan, you can protect your assets and your family. At Slowik Estate Planning, located in Atlanta, Georgia, we help families build solid plans that address long term care costs before a crisis hits. This page explains what you need to know about long term care cost planning in Georgia and how our firm can help.

Table of Contents

What Does Long Term Care Actually Cost in Georgia?

Before you can plan for something, you need to know what it costs. Long term care is not cheap, and the prices have been going up year after year. Understanding the real numbers is the first step in building a plan that works.

The cost of long term care can be daunting. In Georgia, the median cost for assisted living is approximately $59,280 per year, with nursing home care costing upwards of $105,850 per year for a semi-private room. That is a serious amount of money for most families. And those are just the median numbers. Your actual costs could be higher depending on the level of care you need.

The cost of long term care services in Georgia increased year-over-year, according to the 2025 Cost of Care Survey conducted by CareScout. This trend is not slowing down. In every state, the cost of both semiprivate and private rooms in nursing homes rose between 2024 and 2025, and the current estimates for 2026 show even higher costs.

Think about what that means for your retirement savings. If you spend two or three years in a nursing home, you could easily spend $200,000 to $300,000 or more. That is money that would otherwise go to your spouse, your children, or the causes you care about. Every day until 2030, 10,000 Baby Boomers will turn 65 and seven out of ten of them will need long term care services at some point. The demand is growing, and prices will likely follow.

There are several types of care to consider. Different types of care are available, some in your own home and some provided in a personal care home, assisted living community, nursing home, or other facility. In-home care services can include companion supervision, light housekeeping, meal preparation, running errands, transportation to appointments, and assistance with activities of daily living such as dressing, bathing, eating, and using the restroom. Each option comes with its own price tag, and the right choice depends on your health needs and financial situation. Working with an estate planning attorney in Atlanta early on gives you the most options.

Georgia Medicaid Rules for Long Term Care in 2026

Many people assume Medicaid will cover their long term care costs automatically. That is not how it works. Medicaid has strict income and asset limits, and qualifying is not as simple as people think. If you do not plan ahead, you may end up spending down your life savings before Medicaid will help you.

The 2026 income limit for Georgia Nursing Home Medicaid for a single applicant is $2,982 per month. Georgia residents have to meet an asset limit and an income limit in order to be financially eligible for Nursing Home Medicaid. For a single applicant in 2026, the asset limit is $2,000, which means they must have $2,000 or less in countable assets. That is a very low threshold. Most people have far more than that in savings and retirement accounts.

If you are married, the rules get more complicated. All assets of a married couple are considered jointly owned, regardless of the long term care Medicaid program for which one or both spouses are applying. There is, however, a Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA) that protects a larger amount of a couple’s countable assets for the non-applicant spouse. In 2026, the community spouse can retain up to $162,660 of the couple’s countable assets. This protection is important, but it still leaves a lot of assets exposed without proper planning.

One of the most critical rules to understand is the look-back period. Georgia has a Medicaid Look-Back Period of 60 months for Nursing Home Medicaid and Medicaid Waivers that immediately precedes one’s application date. During this period, Medicaid scrutinizes all asset transfers, including those made by one’s spouse, for assets that were gifted. This means you cannot simply give away assets right before applying for Medicaid. If you do, you may face a penalty period during which Medicaid will not pay for your care.

There are also important changes coming from federal legislation. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 119th Congress) includes a provision that caps home equity limits for Medicaid nursing facility or other long term care services beginning in 2028. This change could affect how your home is treated when you apply for Medicaid. Planning now, before these changes take effect, is the smart move. Contact Slowik Estate Planning to understand how these upcoming rules may affect your situation.

How to Protect Your Assets from Long Term Care Costs

Asset protection is one of the most important parts of long term care planning. The goal is to preserve your wealth for your family while still qualifying for the benefits you may need. There are several legal strategies available under Georgia and federal law, but they must be set up correctly and well in advance.

One common strategy involves the use of irrevocable trusts. When you transfer assets into an irrevocable trust, those assets may no longer count as yours for Medicaid purposes, provided the transfer happened outside the 60-month look-back window. This can be a powerful tool for protecting a home, savings, or other property. However, you give up control of those assets once they are in the trust, so this strategy requires careful thought. An Asset Protection Lawyer at Slowik Estate Planning can walk you through whether this approach makes sense for your family.

Another option is a Medicaid-compliant annuity. There are non-countable assets, like irrevocable funeral trusts and Medicaid compliant annuities. These tools can help convert countable assets into an income stream for a community spouse, helping the applicant qualify for Medicaid while protecting some value for the healthy spouse.

Long term care insurance is another avenue worth exploring. Home care can be as much as $25,000 per year, and nursing home care can range in cost from $40,000 to $80,000 annually. Generally, you pay these expenses out of your own pocket, because medical insurance and Medicare do not cover long term care. A long term care insurance policy can help bridge that gap, but policies need to be purchased while you are still healthy enough to qualify.

Your estate plan should also address what happens to trust beneficiaries if long term care costs consume a significant portion of your estate. Proper planning ensures your heirs are protected, not left with nothing after years of care expenses. Slowik Estate Planning helps Atlanta families think through all of these pieces together.

Federal Law Changes That Could Affect Your Long Term Care Plan

Federal law is always changing, and those changes directly affect how Medicaid works for long term care. Staying informed is important, but acting on that information is even more important. Several provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1, 119th Congress) will reshape the Medicaid landscape in ways that affect Georgia families.

One major change involves Medicaid eligibility reviews. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act requires state Medicaid programs to redetermine every six months, beginning with the first quarter after December 31, 2026, the eligibility of individuals who are enrolled in Medicaid as part of the Medicaid expansion population. More frequent reviews mean more chances for coverage to be disrupted if your financial situation changes.

There are also new provisions related to home and community-based services (HCBS). The One Big Beautiful Bill Act authorizes additional HCBS waivers for state Medicaid programs beginning on July 1, 2028. States may seek waivers to provide HCBS to individuals without the need for certain determinations as to whether an individual requires hospital or institutional care. This could open more options for receiving care at home rather than in a nursing facility, which many people prefer.

Another provision delays until FY2035 the implementation of minimum staffing standards for nurses in Medicare and Medicaid long term care facilities, including a requirement for a nurse to be onsite 24/7 and a minimum of 3.48 total nurse staffing hours per resident per day. This delay could affect care quality in nursing homes, which is something families should factor into their planning decisions.

These federal changes are complex and will interact with Georgia state law in ways that are not always straightforward. The team at Slowik Estate Planning monitors these developments and can help you understand what they mean for your specific plan. Do not wait for the law to change around you. Plan now while you still have the most options available.

Why You Need a Long Term Care Plan Before a Crisis Hits

Most families do not think about long term care planning until someone gets sick. By that point, many of the best planning options are no longer available. The 60-month Medicaid look-back period alone means you need to start at least five years before you think you might need care. Waiting is one of the most expensive mistakes you can make.

Consider this example (for illustrative purposes only, and not a guarantee of any specific outcome): A couple in Atlanta has $400,000 in savings and a home worth $350,000. One spouse develops dementia and needs nursing home care. Without a plan, they may have to spend down most of their savings before Medicaid will step in. With a plan put in place years earlier, they could have protected a much larger portion of those assets for the healthy spouse and their children.

Your plan should also cover things people often overlook. For example, if you have pets, you may want to consider pet guardianships as part of your overall estate plan. If you end up in a nursing home, someone needs to care for your animals. A complete plan addresses all of these details, not just the financial ones.

While one’s home is generally exempt from Medicaid’s asset limit, it is not exempt from Medicaid’s Estate Recovery Program (MERP). Following a long term care Medicaid beneficiary’s death, Georgia’s Medicaid agency attempts reimbursement of care costs through whatever estate of the deceased still remains. This means even if Medicaid pays for your care, your family could still lose your home after you pass away. A well-designed estate plan can help address this risk as well.

The Atlanta estate planning lawyer team at Slowik Estate Planning is ready to help you build a plan that fits your life, your assets, and your goals. Our office is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and we work with families throughout the Atlanta metro area. Call us today to schedule a consultation and take the first step toward protecting everything you have worked for. Every family’s situation is different, and past results in other matters do not guarantee a specific outcome in yours, but getting started early always gives you more options.

FAQs About Long Term Care Cost Planning in Atlanta, Georgia

How much does a nursing home cost in Georgia in 2026?

Georgia nursing home costs have continued to rise. According to the Georgia Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, nursing home care in Georgia costs upwards of $105,850 per year for a semi-private room, based on the 2024 Cost of Care Survey. Costs for 2025 and 2026 are expected to be higher. Private rooms and specialized memory care units cost even more. Planning ahead is the best way to make sure these costs do not wipe out your savings.

What are the Medicaid asset limits for long term care in Georgia in 2026?

In 2026, a single applicant for Georgia Nursing Home Medicaid must have $2,000 or less in countable assets and monthly income under $2,982. For married couples where only one spouse is applying, the healthy spouse can keep up to $162,660 in countable assets under the Community Spouse Resource Allowance. These limits change annually, so it is important to verify current figures with a qualified attorney before making any planning decisions.

What is the Medicaid look-back period in Georgia?

Georgia’s Medicaid look-back period is 60 months, or five years. Medicaid reviews all asset transfers made during that period before your application date. If you gave away assets or transferred property during that window, you may face a penalty period during which Medicaid will not pay for your care. This is why long term care planning needs to start well before you think you will need care, not after a health crisis begins.

Does Medicare pay for long term care in Georgia?

Medicare does not pay for long term care in the traditional sense. Medicare will pay 100% of nursing home costs for the first 20 days when care is medically necessary, and it pays a portion of costs for days 21 through 100, with a copayment of $217 per day in 2026. After 100 days, Medicare stops paying for nursing home care entirely. For ongoing long term care needs, you would need to rely on Medicaid, long term care insurance, or private funds.

When should I start planning for long term care costs?

You should start planning for long term care costs as early as possible, ideally well before you retire. Because Georgia’s Medicaid look-back period is 60 months, any asset protection strategies involving transfers need to be done at least five years before you apply for Medicaid. Long term care insurance is also easier and less expensive to obtain while you are still healthy. Waiting until a health crisis occurs dramatically limits your options. Contact Slowik Estate Planning in Atlanta, Georgia to start building your plan today.

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